BackCover

Back Cover

You ve just been promoted to a new leadership position. You re not yet sure of the challenges ahead or how you will meet them. All you know is that you have three months to get on top of the job and move forward ”or fail.

This book is your road map for taking charge quickly and effectively during critical career transition periods, whether you re a first-time manager or a new CEO. Written by noted leadership transition expert Michael Watkins, The First 90 Days outlines proven strategies that will dramatically shorten the time it takes to reach what Watkins calls the breakeven point : the point at which your organization needs you as much as you need the job.

Based on three years of research into leadership transitions at all levels and hands-on work designing transition programs for top companies, Watkins provides illustrative examples and actionable tools that will show you how to:

• Assess your strengths and weaknesses and identify personal vulnerabilities
• Diagnose your situation and understand its challenges and opportunities
• Negotiate a productive working relationship with your boss
• Secure early wins that establish credibility and create momentum
• Build your team and connect with influential support coalitions
• Align strategy, structure, systems, and skills to enable success
• Balance personal and professional demands during the transition

About the Author

Michael Watkins is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he does research on leadership and negotiation. He is the author of several books, including Breakthrough Business Negotiation: A Toolbox for Managers (2002); the coauthor of Right from the Start: Taking Charge in a New Leadership Role (HBS Press, 1999); and the author of Leadership Transitions , an HBSP eLearning Program.